Fire-escape.



R. LANG L W. E. JAMES.

FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLmATIoN FILED AUG. 1o, 1911.

Patented Aug. 27,1912.

OLUMIIA PLANOCIAPH 0., WASHINGTON. D.

` E STATES ATEN ERICE ROBERT LANG AND WILLIAM E. JAMES, 0F ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

specification of Leners raient. p yatentedrltug. 27, 1912.

Application filed August 10, 1911. Serial No. 643,385.

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be itknown that we, ROBERT LANG and lVILLIAM E. JAMES, citizens of the United States, residing in the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Improvement `in Fire-Escapes, of

which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to tire escapes and the object of theinvention is to provide a device of this kind which can be quickly alttached or detached to any form of wint ow.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of this kind which can be safely lowered by the party using the same and which will be automatically returned into position to receive a second load.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device of this kind in which there will be no danger of the cable becoming tangled or twisted thus preventing successful use of the apparatus.

rllhe invention consists of the novel features of construction hereinafter described, pointed out in the claims, and shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation parts being in section. Fig. 2 is'a side view, showing the device from the side opposite that shown in Fig. 1, the cover plate of a springl casing being removed. Fig. 3 is a plan view. Fig. et is a detail vertical section through a saddle. Fig. 5 is a detail side elevation of a form of basket.

In these drawings 1 represents a suitable metal frame provided at its inner end with downwardly extending pins 2 which are adapted to be detachably secured in eyebolts 3 which are secured in vertical alinement in the window casing. Supported within this frame is a deep flanged double drum t, the half of the drum nearest the window being of greater diameter than the outer half. To the respective port-ions of this double drum are secured opposite ends of a cable 5, and below the larger drum is secured a smaller bracket 6 which is pro vided with a horizontal shaft 7 upon which is slidably mounted a pulley 8 over which the cable runs as it leaves the larger drum.

For the support of the persons using the apparatus we preferably employ a saddle 9 beneath which is secured suitable pulleys 10, and the cable 5 is fed through the top of the saddle and. to and from said pulleys by means of vertically arranged tubes 1l. The

saddle can be replaced if desired by a basket device 12, likewise provided with guiding tubes 13, and beneath the basket with pulleys 14. In both cases the pulleys are protected by suitable wire network 15 and 15a.

It will be obvious that the saddle 9 will exert substantially the same pull upon one portion of the cable as upon the other, and will remain stationary unless a positive pull is exerted upon one port-ionfof the rope. It will furthermore be obvious that if the cable unwound `and again wound upon drums of the same diameter the cable would simply run over the pulleys l0, and there would be no vertical movement of the saddle, as the drum upon which the cable was winding would take up exactly as much cable as each rotation of the drum caused to unwind. But if the person in the saddle pulls upon the rope so as to cause the same to unwind from the larger drum and wind upon the smaller the amount unwound with each ro# tation of the drum will exceed the amount taken up by the smaller drum and the saddle will descend. If the rope is pulled in the opposite direction the larger drum will take up more cable than is unwinding during each rotation of the drum and the saddle will ascend.

In order that the device may be returned automatically into elevated position we secure a suitable casing 16 to the frame l provided with a central shaft 17 and a spring 18 which is secured to said shaft and to the casing. The shaft 17 carries also a beveled gear 19 which meshes with a beveled gear 20 carried by the double drum 4:. The spring is so mounted that when the cable is wound upon the larger drum the cable is unwound. 'As the saddle or basket descends the cable unwinds from the larger drum and winds upon the smaller drum and at the same time winds the spring. By the time the descent has been accomplished the spring has been wound to such an extent that when the saddle or basket is released from its load the unwinding of the spring will again elevate it to normal posit-ion and rewind the cable upon the larger drum.

llVhat we claim is 1. In a device of the kind described, comprising a double drum of diiferent diameters, a cable having its opposite ends se- Vleys arranged beneatlisaid carrying device '2. In a fire 'escape a doubleV drum loaving larger and smaller `,drum sections, a cable having its ends attached' respectively to said sections, a fixed shaft arranged be- Y neatli and parallel to thelarger drum sec tion, a carrier supported by said cable, vertical guidetubes arrangedupon the carrier for receiving the cable, and pulleys arranged beneath the carrier'and between theY said 'guide tubes, thel cable runningV over said pulleys. v

Y 'Y 3.111 a fire escape a double v.d1-urn"having sectionsot' different diameters, a cable haw ing its ends secured to said sections and Vnormally vvWound upon tlie larger section, a

spring operatively connected to said double druin and normally unwound, a carrier,

guider Vtubes Vmounted upon the carrier tl'irough'whichsaid cable passes, and guide pulleys beneath the carrier, the said spring being Wound upon descent of the carrier Vand unwlndlng of the cable from the larger drum section, and returning said carrier automatically to normal position upon removal Vo1 'the load. v

4. Ina device of the kind described a saddle, vertically' arranged tubes arranged at opposite ends of the saddleV and adapted to'receive a cable, cable guiding pulleys arranged beneathV and carried by the saddle, l

and a suitable net Work inc'losing said pul` leys rand that portion of the cable traveling between the guide tubes, as and for the pur- Copies of thisrpatent may be obtained for ive cents eaclnby addressing*` the Commissioner of V'aten'cs,

Washington, D. C. Y 

